Okay, I tried to not jump in here, but I couldn't hold myself back. No magic box is going to make an LCD the same as a broadcast CRT. If it was possible, Sony and eCinema wouldn't have a market for their 30K and 45K monitors that are coming out.
First, off axis viewing goes to hell with an LCD. Trying to have the client and the operator both sit dead on is nigh impossible.
Second, most LCDs do not have an even backlight. In other words, they have flourescent bulbs in the back so the light gets brighter and darker throughout the screen. You may not be able to easily see it, but it is there.
Third, most of those lights cannot be set to 6504 kelvin which is the SMPTE spec for a reference monitor.
Fourth, by design, an LCD cannot produce blacks like a CRT or even a projected film. Makes jusdging the blacks for those venues VERY difficult.
Fifth, can you say 8 bit? Doesn't matter if your software / hardware works in 32 bit float. The LCD panel is 8bit! In other words, when you see that banding you will never know for sure whether it is in your program or your LCD monitor.
This is why SED technology should have been here two years ago. This is why Sony and eCinema are putting individual LEDs behind each pixel atgreat expense to try to emulate a CRTs response.
I'm not saying you can't do what you want to do on a cheap LCD, I just want to make sure people realize it DOESN'T match a CRT regardless of your magic boxes.
Terence Curren
http://www.alphadogs.tv
http://www.digitalservicestation.com
Burbank,Ca
